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Carole Middleton: Sport & Social

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Last week we looked at Carole dressing to mingle with royalty, and this week we will look at her lightly more casual appearances.

Princes William and Harry are very involved with the Henry van Straubenzee Memorial Fund charity, of which they are joint-patrons. Henry van Straubenzee was a school chum and a good friend to both princes, but was killed in an auto accident in 2002. Kate used to go to the Henry van Straubenzee charity concert at St. Luke's, but has not been since the winter of her engagement. I think the publicity is probably just too crazy. I was very excited to see Carole attend this past December, despite Kate's absence, and I thought she looked fabulous. Wearing a black sheath dress and wrapped up in a chic black coat, she once again hit the nail on the head dressing her age, but still displaying youthful zest in her choices. I was so taken by her booties, which are Aquatalia, I ran out and ordered a pair of my own and have not regretted the decision once. They are adorable and oh so comfortable to wear throughout a day at the office.

The grandmother of the future king of England was snapped wreathed in smiles as she popped into the Edward VII hospital in December of 2012 after Kate was hospitalized with acute morning sickness. Well done, George. Trouble from the start. :)

While I cannot absolutely confirm, this coat is screaming MaxMara at me. We have certainly seen Kate wear the label in the past, too, and she had worn a light pink Max Mara just the month before she was hospitalized, so perhaps mother and daughter were shopping together:

Another coat Carole has been spotted in is also from a Kate favorite: Katherine Hooker. Carole wore a very classic Katherine Hooker coat on Christmas morning in 2012:

Similar in style to Carole's is the beautiful Katherine Hooker that Kate had "repurposed" for her lifeboat appearance. It remains one of my favorites on the Duchess:

When out for a night with Michael, Carole can get quite adventurous. This tropical ensemble was her tribute to the family's favorite holiday locale: Mustique. On this occasion the Middletons were back at the Goring (shortly after they stayed there for the royal wedding) to party at Basil's Bar: London. Read more on that event and the bar here.

For a party launching Pippa's fabulous entertaining book Celebrate, Carole opted for a structured red sheath. With grounding, black accessories and her hair swept up, the proud mom was the picture of elegance.

Like their daughter, the Middletons love a good game of tennis and are spotted every year at Wimbledon, often more than once. In June of 2011, Michael and Carole joined Pippa and then-boyfriend Alex Loudon to enjoy a match:

In 2012, she wore a lovely blue suit with playful pleating on the skirt.

In June of 2013 Carole chose cobalt blue to attend the famous tennis tournament. I love this color in general, and another certain person is also quite the fan.

We have gotten a pretty heavy dose of this shade from th Duchess who most recently wore it to Scotland for the Commonwealth Games and to the poppy installation at the Tower of London.

Now, this is certainly an issue that will divide us, since I know many of you are not fans of animal print. And as you all know...I am just a little bit a very big fan of animal print. ;) So, I was pretty excited when Carole wore this get-up to Wimbledon the very next week:

In my defense, Kate likes animal print, too, and has worn is to varying degrees many times over the years. She was most ostentatious with it when she wore a full Dalmatian print coat to her last official engagement before George's birth:

This year, Carole broke from blue with this red and white houndstooth from Jaeger and stepped up the style stakes with some colorful shoes. I am not in love with these wedges, but props for the color pop.

Again, Mrs. Middleton chose a label that has already been patronized by her elder daughter, who has worn the brand several times, most notably on tour in 2012 and very recently to Greenwich.

In a third and final post, we will briefly look at Carole's jewelry, so watch for that...

I want to apologize for any delay in comments and my tardy or non-exitsant responses to your lovely remarks. I am still on holiday and internet access has not always been easy. I will be back to normal schedule very soon, though. Hopefully, as summer winds down and crisp fall weather makes her return, we will also see an uptick in royal activity! Malta (and more) is on its way!

10 comments:

Love Carole! Thanks for this post. I find Carole to be the most fascinating one in the family: Kate just married well, Pippa is famous by her relation with Kate, James so far hasn't done much and also remains in the news only because of his last name, no one knows (or cares) what Mike is up to. Carole on the other hand, she is the one who came from nothing and built the life others only dream about! She chose a good man to marry, she started Party Pieces and became a millionaire while raising a family. Would be awesome to learn more about her...

Thank you for this series on Carole. I love the way Kate dresses but am much closer in age to Carole, so I appreciate all the info. I'm disappointed that most of her brands are not available where I live. I notice she carries Modalu handbags like Pippa and wonder if they share.

I think all three Middleton women share not only handbags but clothes, too. I noticed one of Carole's bags is by Lamb 1887, a brand Pippa carries. And although I think Carole always look great, on that Wimbledon outing in the floral dress, her left sleeve has pulled out of its sleeve and is unraveling! And her shoes are muddy! I think I'd wear different shoes if there were the possibility of walking in mud.

I love anything Carole related! In fact, if I had to pick someone to have dinner with from the Middleton family, I think I'd pick Carole over Kate and Pippa. She is fascinating. Jane - do you know if those Aquatalia booties are still available? I'm looking to purchase a pair for the fall. Thank you!

Hi Jane, thanks for such a great post on Carole!! I love how she dresses casually (or dressy), she looks young but not like she's trying to compete with her daughthers. I agree with Anon, I'd love to have dinner with Carole over Kate or Pippa. She seems like she is certainly the life of the party and the heart of her family. I loved the floral dress she wore to Wimbledon in 2011, the colors and fit were perfect for her.

Love that you are doing a post on Carole Middleton's style. We don't see many pictures of her here in Australia and as someone of her age , I do like to see what she is wearing. Her daughters are stylish and Kate really knows the "appropriate" wear for her varied engagements.I very much admire the lady,and her husband, seem to be a great parenting team.Linda C.

I think she has an enviable figure for a woman in her 50's (or for many ages), dresses appropriately, with style, and seems to have a good time. My only sartorial criticism, is with some of her footwear. IMHO, some of her court shoes look a bit aging.

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Welcome to the blog! I am Jane Barr and I write From Berkshire to Buckingham. I am an American Anglophile-Francophile (Yes, they can co-exist. :)) I have been following Kate since she began dating William at St Andrews. I began the blog in my favorite Starbucks while living in Los Angeles, CA, just before William and Kate married. See my Welcome page (in the navigation bar) for more about the blog, and follow me on Twitter (@princesskate_GB) and Instagram (@fromberkshiretobuckingham) for more of my royal content.